Piers Morgan deportation calls dismissed by US

A petition signed by more than 100,000 calling for the CNN talkshow host Piers
Morgan to be deported has been dismissed by Barack Obama.

Morgan, the former editor of the Daily Mirror, has become a vociferous opponent of America's gun laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook school massacre.

Since arguing for tighter gun control, gun enthusiasts launched the petition in December 21 accusing him of being "engaged in a hostile attack" against the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which guarantees the right to bear arms.

US citizens are able to file petitions on the White House website. If they collect at least 25,000 signatures within 30 days the White House is obliged to issue a response.

Jay Carney, the White House spokesman, has now commented on the petition, saying that Morgan would not be deported.

"Let's not let arguments over the Constitution's Second Amendment violate the spirit of its First," he said.

"President Obama believes that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual right to bear arms. However, the Constitution not only guarantees an individual right to bear arms, but also enshrines the freedom of speech and the freedom of the press — fundamental principles that are essential to our democracy. Americans may disagree on matters of public policy and express those disagreements vigorously, but no one should be punished by the government simply because he or she expressed a view on the Second Amendment — or any other matter of public concern."

During one particularly intense segment Mr Jones labelled his British host a "redcoat" and attacked Mr Morgan's stance on gun control, saying: "Hitler took the guns. Stalin took the guns. Mao took the guns. Fidel Castro took the guns. Hugo Chavez took the guns.

"I'm here to tell you, 1776 will commence again if you try to take our firearms. We will not relinquish them. Do you understand?"

In another particularly bizarre exchange, Mr Jones, who claims to own more than 50 firearms, begins impersonating Mr Morgan's British accent and then quotes from a 2009 Daily Telegraph article which labels the UK the violent crime capital of Europe.

The former British newspaper editor later told The Daily Telegraph the interview was: "One of the most alarming interviews I have ever conducted."